The Cause of Death
by Novalon
Summary: This is but a prequel of what is to come. The story has a rare protagonist, but he is known well in CT. Please read and review! I know you'll like it! Updated after practically 3 years from starting... rating changed. FINISHED! Please Read and Review!
1. Chapter 1: A Cause of Death

The Cause of Death

A Chrono Trigger Fanfiction

By: Novalon

_Death._

He reflected on the word, if only for an instant, and then found himself looking back on a nameless hill, with the bodies of the dead surrounding him.

He looked around, unsure of where he was, he could hear some shouting in the background, the sounds of battle. He knew very well what was going on as the smell of decay flooded his senses; war was no stranger to him.

Was he the cause of such death?

It answered, as if being said by the very wind itself, in a soft wisp. He shuddered as he heard it in the positive. Was such the price of invoking his wrath?

He stopped. Never had he been one to go on a bloody rampage. He fought in close quarters, and was more a teacher than a warrior. His skill was with the mechanics of battle, and not it's horrible aftereffects.

_I caused this death._

Again, the thought resurfaced, no matter how hard he tried. The bloody scene shifted to the grim spectacle of a town inflamed by demonic fire.

_Death follows me wherever I go._

He stood in the middle of the flames, oblivious to the heat. The dirt ground had been caked in blood, as the smell of burning wood seemed to mask the scent of death in the air.

But he could **feel** it.

It wasn't enough to know the smell of death, but to know that it is there. The instinctive knowledge that something is dead, without needing to use the rest of the senses. Only such would be possible in either a great warrior, or a madman.

Or maybe both.

_The black wind howls._

The dark mage Magus was known to say that, but could he be compared to such a murderer? He corrected himself, Magus was an aftereffect of the mind control that Ozzie put under young Janus Enhasa. Without the mind control, Magus ceased to exist. But could he be capable of this?

Again, the sibilant hiss of the wind whipped by his ears in the same previous positive answer. But this time, the wind continued.

_Many lives have ended at your hand._

Preposterous! And yet, it was possible…

_Don't compare yourself to Magus. He could not compare to you._

He froze. Shaking his head.

It's not true.

It wasn't his fault!

_You caused an amount of death that greatly dwarfs the damage that Magus had done._

Bull Shit.

_Is it really? Can you truly believe that you have not caused death at some point?_

Nonsense, I'm a teacher of magic.

People were saved because of what I did.

_Penance is a wonderful thing._

No. It's not true.

**It can't be true.**

A figure cloaked in black appeared in front of him.

He knew this man, and yet, could not place a name with him.

__

When next we meet, General, all will be revealed.

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He woke up.

His large form was entirely covered in the pungent smell of sweat. Another shudder racked his body as he looked around at his surroundings.

The empty blackness of the stars greeted his eyes, comforting him. He looked around the small room he resided in and moved to the door in front of him.

He opened it slowly, walking out into the slightly grander room.

Almost immediately, his entrance was responded to.

"Couldn't sleep, eh?"  


He answered in the negative, turning towards the old man who asked him.

"Well, it looks like something's clearly been haunting you… Spekkio."

The Master of War nodded his head.

"It's creeping you out so much that you wont even speak. And you can't even sleep… even though I know that the Nu race is prone to sleeping. Don't let it worry you."

Finally, Spekkio spoke.

"I don't know what sort of an omen it is. It's a strange feeling though, the nightmare seems to be from the past… or the future."

The old man shook his head, "I'm sorry. I don't quite know how to help you with this. Time is no longer a mystery, but dreams still elude me."

Spekkio shook his head again, "Don't worry Gaspar, I'll try to get over it."

But how can one feel better, knowing that they are the cause of death?


	2. Chapter 2: A Master of War

The Cause of Death

Chapter 2: A master of War

By: Novalon

He laid back, the cool unmoving void of the endless shadow welcoming him. Seemingly relaxed, he closed his eyes, as was the nature of the body he was currently in. Nus were not known for their briskfullness, except when they were cornered and in battle, he sincerly wished that this was not his most powerful form, yet something in the back of his mind told him it was merely a shadow of whatever he used to be.

And whatever he used to be chilled him to the bone, brought upon a fear that he imagined could not have been understood by any mortal man... save for one, who had been visiting him lately.

The blue haired Wizard visited the End of Time often in order to keep up with his studies. When asked, the Wizard spoke with what seemed in riddles.

"A blackness comes from afar... I can feel its power ever coalescing... I need your expertise in training in order to make myself stronger to combat this thing... I swear I have felt it before from somewhere..."

Questioning Gaspar had yielded a similar response.

"Janus' abilities of reading the flow of time have become more powerful than anything I could ever attain. His wish for tutilage has become his striving for success. Even I cannot see what is coming... for as far as I can tell, it never wished to make its way here before... something has changed... time has changed... but how, I cannot say. All I know is that whatever changes took place, all the travellers were unaffected due to the..."

He knew it, of course, Gaspar had stated the theory time and time again, something he had picked up from some Omni-powerful Guru/Prophet he knew from the past. Some Conversion of Time theory by some leading temporal analyst from the planet Earth known as Cain. He had later pointed out that a similar analyst had proven the theory once again, one who was known as Moxius Jettious, though he had theories of his own to add.

Granted, listening to Gaspar's endless drabble is like listening to a drunk talk about why he's drunk in the first place, you already heard it before, but that wont stop him from talking to you.

As far as Spekkio was concerned there was only one thing that bugged him, one single despairing event that shuddered his body at every occurrence, one thing that made him wish he did not need to sleep even in the body of some kind of immortal being.

Every night, he dreamed he was a monster.

That wasn't the half of it, whatever he dreamed about was not some kind of normal monster by any means, no, gazing at his surroundings in the dream world, he would see human hands reaching out to a vicious Nodachi and committing horrible acts of murder before his very eyes.

In his earlier visions, he saw he was taking part in some great battle, his side using weapons and technology against a less developed nation that had superior battle ability, at least until he stepped into battle. From then on, the slaughter of whoever he was fighting would begin. He would see tall structures that looked rather familiar, but yet he couldn't place exactly what they were called.

He longed for the evenings for dreams like that to come back, for his latest dreams were something out of unspeakable horrors. He would watch as his own human hands called upon various magical energies, throwing them into unsuspecting crowds, decimating populations of entire cities.

The first time he saw this horror was when he was able to see the entirety of his original first nightmare, start to finish. It had begun like all the others... so very much like all the others...

He was riding in some sort of vehicle, he realized that right off the bat. They called these things Trucks in the planet's future. He looked around at his surroundings as he always had.

There was a man with Spikey Black hair doing what looked like squats of some sort, he seemed very excited about something. There were two others with them wearing the same uniform the spikey haired man wore, but with helmets covering their face.

Silence... the lips of the men moved, but all audible noise was hindered in his hearing. He assumed it was because all the dreams made more of a visible impact, or maybe it was because perhaps the audibles would trigger something that some higher power did not want to happen.

The scene had shifted ahead, he was walking in some kind of mountainous range, the spikey haired man with him, but only one helmeted man. They were joined by some unknown black haired girl adorned in some kind of hiking gear. He couldn't quite remember how she had joined the group, but he had guessed that the truck he was in had taken him to someplace so he and the others could take her along, perhaps for some sort of guide through these mountains.

Various monsters attacked, the Spikey haired man doing his best to fend them off with his rediculously bulky sword, while the man in the helmet proceeded to aid in the battle the best he could by using a weapon similar to what Lucca used, only with some kind of metal projectles moving out at a very fast rate.

He watched magical energies flow into his hands, a faint green light also being let off by his sword. He could suddenly feel a deep voice, which he guessed was his, call out.

"Fire 3!"

Granted, he had never seen a spell strong than Flare before... but whatever fire spell he had cast caused his magical senses to overflow. The spell was completely off the charts of what any kind of human was supposed to be able to cast. He realized that in all the gruesome war battles that he had been in before, he had never used whatever magic he had at his disposal against another human.

Did this mean that there was some event here that changed him? It must have, because there were humans here fighting alongside of him, all of which who held reverent looks whenever they set their eyes apon him.

It was the same kind of look that Magus would give him whenever he helped the Wizard train. And he knew that he was the only one who recieved the look from the Wizard of Shadow.

The scene flashed by again, and he was standing in front of some gigantic metallic structure, the black spikey haired man standing behind him with a determined look on his face. There was something about this structure that made him worry, something about it reminded him of something that had happened on this very planet.

Spekkio silently cursed, it was probably the other way around if this had truly happened to him previously.

A cold wind was blowing, and though it was a dream, he could feel it. It stung far worse than any chilling wind he had ever felt before, and he watched as the man behind him was barely affected, taking it as if there were a slight breeze. The helmeted man was covered... so he had no idea as to how he responded. It was the girl who stood behind the helmeted man who did not have a single bit of wind hit her, it was almost as if...

Silver tendrils of his own human hair moved silently in the wind, his eyes narrowed as he suddenly realized what he was feeling eminating from the area, and he suddenly realized that his reaction had to do with his connection to whatever was inside the structure, the very same connection that only seemed to slightly be in the man behind him.

He knew this feeling well, for it coursed through every man who used this kind of power... it was the unmistakeable feeling of pure evil in the air, only one race had ever given this kind of feeling to those who had the magical purity in which to notice it...

It was the black wind... and there was some kind of being in the structure that had power that resembled that of Lavos!

But... he was connected... to it?

A scene flashed by again, he was evidently standing inside the structure, moving towards what looked like some kind of capsule... with some kind of creature inside of it.

His vision brightened again, and he heard maniacal laughter echoing, and he listened in fear, for he recognized it to be his very own back during the time where he had once been human.

And he knew... he had just watched the transition from what was evidently some kind of leader on the battleground... to a monster.

And he watched... as the green energy shown from his sword again, a sort of katana that seemed to be about 5 feet and 11 inches in length.

He watched as a human hand pointed towards an innocent looking town, one which seemed to be full of life.

And he heard the voice which sentenced their death.

"Flare!"

He found himself back at the scene from his very first instance of his nightmares... that very town in which it was he who burnt down. The cloaked man had called him a General... he must have been the kind of man who was greatly revered in this area before he committed this act of mass murder.

The scene flashed by again, he found himself in a room, his body was moving... and what he saw in front of him chilled him to the very bone, along with the strong magical backwash he was feeling from whatever was in front of him.

It was a creature, one that obviously looked like Lavos, it looked as his hands were being shown to it as a gesture of... peace?

He followed a creature that only wanted the destruction of whatever planet his dreams were a part of...?

The scene flashed by again, the spikey haired man lay collapsed on the ground outside of the room he was in. Unnoticed, a blone spikey haired man stood, holding the massive blade the other man once held.

The angry green eyes bored into his soul, as the blade was brought down apon him. Those same green eyes later showed pain as his own massive sword was shoved straight into the man's gut.

It was that same man who used his momentum to swing his body around, and cause whoever Spekkio was to be flung to some unseen area... down... down... down...

Blackness... and silence... and the overwhelming presence of the black wind...

It was ever close, and forever with him... for the rest of his nightmares.


	3. Chapter 3: Dreaming Reality

The Cause of Death

Dreaming reality

            He heard a knock at the door.  Slowly bringing his head to a propped position on his rotund body, he sighed as he heard an inquiry on the other side of the door.

            Over the past month, Spekkio had lost whatever cheerfulness he once had, replaced with an overwhelming depression on what might have been.  His dreams were becoming even more vivid, with grotesque scenes of outright killing of various people, and in his latest one, he watched in horror as he, in his dream, descended from a great height, impaling a beautiful young brown haired woman, leaving a blond haired man holding a gigantic sword outstretched speechless.

            Truly, that young man had much strife in his life, and Spekkio realized that clearly, he was likely the cause of such problems.

            Again, the knock came, and Spekkio realized he had yet to actually answer the door.  He called out in a tired voice, "Yes, yes… the master of war will see you."

            The door opened, and the Prince of Zeal stepped through, a dangerous look written all over his face.

            "Spekkio, there is a problem that needs to be address, and I feel that perhaps your training is not enough for me to fight the dark force that has been plaguing the world.  However… there is one who can step up to the power, and he wishes to speak with you…"

            Janus opened the door further, and a man wrapped in a mysterious dark cloak stepped through.  The power the man had was mind boggling at the very least, and his foreboding presence caused Spekkio to place a hand to his chest, realizing who stood before him.

            "The one from my dreams… you… no… impossible."

            The cloaked man looked back to Janus, as if in confusion, and then looked back to Spekkio in surprise.

            "I admit, if I am in your dreams, it was no fault of my own.  Personally, I'm just surprised you do not fit the description that Janus told me of previously… how very odd…"

            Spekkio stepped forward, a confused look spreading across his features.

            "What do you mean?  You are clearly powerful, and even I can sense that.  Hell, you're at a strength that I doubt a fraction of a percentage of humans even reach, especially mortal ones like yourself, as your life energies state.  Just… who are you?  And… what do I look like to you?"

            The cloaked man nodded his head, "I am naught but a wanderer, a man who has seen many of the secrets of the world and of what time also has to offer.  I have seen the Kingdom of Guardia fall, and I have seen Lavos rise once again, but if all goes according to plan, the recombination of lost time streams will result in a brighter time line… so quit worrying, Janus."

            Janus wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead, not wanting to deal with both Lavos and the latest evil he had to deal with.

            "As for you, Spekkio… frankly, I don't know how to explain this to you, only that you have the guise of a soul I have watched before.  A man who could have very well saved his planet, and instead fell to the darkness of a beast of Lavos' ilk.  But, then again, what I just mentioned is truly an impossibility… he was such a good warrior, a master of war, a General of a great army, that of course you might have some sort of form like his own but… the very idea that you'd have anything to do with him is…"

            "Warranted, dreamed, and watched with great uncertainty.  From the vividness of the dreams, I have brought myself to believe that I was once that man, before I obtained the power to give others to save their planet…" Spekkio responded, confused.

            The cloaked man nodded, turning to Janus, "He is here for a penance much like yours… though you would never have to worry about reaching his level…"

            "Who am I?" Spekkio asked again.

            The man's head shook side to side, the hood covering his face following in perfect motion.

            "If it is indeed true, if you were truly the man I see before me, then your name is Sephiroth.  What I will tell you both may shock you… but it must be done, for the sake of the past.

            Sephiroth was a well-respected General of a great technological army, the greatest army on his planet, which ironically is the same as the blond haired man who washed up on the beach near Truce… but his story is for another time… anyway…

            What Sephiroth was so respected for was his uncanny ability in various sword techniques, and also his pinpoint accuracy with such a large and cumbersome Nodachi.  His skill in magic was also unparalleled, making him the premier warrior in the world, and a role model among many young and aspiring soldiers.

            One day… I don't know quite how it happened, but Sephiroth went insane.  Sometimes in the back of my mind, I wonder if the crisis could have been averted, if he truly realized that he was not what the alien was making him believe… I thought he was too strong to be brainwashed, myself, but then again, he had been injected numerous times with the blood of the beast, and therefore held a very strong connection.

            His insanity began with the burning of a small mountain hamlet known as Nibelheim… I don't know if you know anything about…"

            Spekkio slammed the side of the room in anger, "Damn it, a young black haired girl was there, one I ran through with my sword, she probably died!  So did the brown haired girl for that matter!"

            Janus began looking at Spekkio oddly, but the master of war passed it off as surprise from hearing the gruesome secrets locked away in his mind.

            The cloaked man nodded, continuing.

            "While Sephiroth attacked the black haired girl, Tifa was her name, he did not kill her.  The brown haired girl you refer to, whose name was Aeris… she did not survive the encounter, and the death was not quite the only one.  Also… Sephiroth did something unthinkable… something that has haunted me to this day, as it could be possible by many other people…

            He took control of powerful black magic… locked away in the secrets of the planet… a spell known as Meteor, which summoned a gigantic rock that could not be dissipated except for it's counteraction, the spell of Holy, which was thankfully cast, but almost came too late…"

            Spekkio sighed, turning around and running a hand through his long hair that fell behind him.

            "My guess is, you were stationed here as penance for your life, because you were not in control at the time… you've been given a second chance… and I believe you've already atoned with aiding the group in destroying Lavos."

            Spekkio shook his head sadly, turning back around and glaring at the cloaked man with bright green eyes.

            "Then how long must I stay as this form… which must have been weaker than my current one… now this planet is having trouble with a dark force that is even stronger than both Jenova and Lavos, and if you can't take care of it…"

            Janus looked at Spekkio in wonder, "Jenova?"

            Spekkio put up a hand to silence him, "A being supposedly stronger than Lavos, though much of it's power had been removed by the people who once lived on the planet… it had to take control of me, the greatest warrior of the planet, in order to gain it's strength back, and injure the planet greatly with Meteor so it could absorb the dying life energies."

            Janus nodded, "Then I have lived a fraction of the life you have… but you are not Spekkio any more… perhaps the penance has been fulfilled…"

            The Master of War put a hand to his side, noticing the added weight of the Nodachi.  Various silver tendrils of hair flowed slightly in front of the master's vision as he smiled sadly.

            "I guess… I am no longer Spekkio… but Sephiroth, the Cause of Death."

            Janus nodded sadly, "But you are still my teacher, and no matter who you become, I will continue to learn from you, if you continue to have me as a student."

            Sephiroth nodded, smiling again, "Of course, I just got a power boost, and you need to make sure you have the strength you need since I don't see Crono around…"

            The blue haired one agreed, "An astute observation, the group decided to regroup here under the leadership of the mysterious one here, Novalon, the wandering Prophet of many planets… he who knows what fate has to give him…"

            The cloaked one nodded, "Yes, but time is of the essence if we are to defeat my nemesis… come Janus…"

            Janus nodded, following him out the door, "Right away, Sir Novalon."

            As the door shut, Sephiroth closed his eyes, realizing the one known as Spekkio was no more… or was he?  Spekkio would live on, as a change in personality, and Sephiroth would promise to uphold as much of the personality as he could while never forgetting the horrid past that made him who he was.

            He was scared, yet happy that his dreams finally found their reality.


End file.
